I love sports; I guess that is obvious since I have spent my entire life around them. I love the competition, love people striving to beat the opponent, to be the best they can be. I even love what lessons are learned from losing. Sports is great because people take their bodies to limits that they didn't think imaginable and there is no feeling quite like that if you haven't experienced it before. But the downside of sports has become way too clear in the past month.

A former mentor of mind used to say that people love to judge the losers and then at the same time tear down the winners all in hopes of making themselves feel better. We call that the "Fellowship of the Miserable." You can't turn on any electronic device right now without seeing a story about Jerry Sandusky of Penn State or Bernie Fine of Syracuse. People are quick to judge immoral acts but Americans have taken it further and placed blame on their more well-renown bosses who should have done more to stop their behavior. We judge those people for not doing more because we would expect more from ourselves if we were in that situation; however most of us have never been in that position, so it is difficult to know how we would react. It is easy when people have been caught doing wrong to tear them down even more. And it seems it is just as easy when those teams are losing. A month ago I listened to a talk radio show host rave on and on about a local college football coach who had his team at 8-0 and ranked in the top ten. The other day I listened as that SAME host questioned the ability of the SAME coach, only now his team has lost 3 out of 4 after losing to its rival. I just hoped people didn't break any ankles as they jumped off that college's bandwagon. But we are all guilty of judging too quickly. Most of us don't know Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno, Bernie Fine, or Jim Boeheim, but we are quick to give an opinion on what they should have done or shouldn't have done. Most college football fans don't spend even 5 minutes watching practice of the team they criticize (I mean cheer for) on Saturday afternoons.

It is not just about the losers and the immoral, however. The winners are brought down as well. Tim Tebow is just as much in the news these days as Jerry Sandusky. Tebow has led the 1-4 Denver Broncos to a 6-1 record since becoming the starting quarterback. Yet, most people argue he can't play in the NFL, can't throw the ball well enough, and that his early success is just luck. Many Americans, again, take it further and despise Tebow because he is so devout and bold in his Christian faith. Can't we just simply enjoy this remarkable young man and be happy that success (even if might be temporary) on the football field in the NFL has come his way? And can't we look at Joe Paterno and Jim Boeheim as men in deep strain and pain about actions of their assistant coaches? We don't need to tear them down anymore than we need to tear down Tim Tebow. We are taking sports down the wrong path.

I was reminded even on a personal level of the "Fellowship of the Miserable" recently. Our men's basketball team took the 4th ranked NCAA Division II team in the nation into overtime in its first game of the season. I didn't hear one word from any local media inquiring about the game. But a few days later when two staff members of ours resigned, I received repeated messages from a local reporter who wanted the story. Really? I thought the games were the story! At least, that's why I started playing sports at a young age and made it my profession. Sports is about the student-athletes, the games and the pursuit of being one's best. Wouldn't it be "remarkable" if we never forgot that?

**Erskine AD Mark Peeler posts a new blog on the first Monday of each month**

Homecoming is the highlight of fall semesters at colleges throughout the country so we were excited when Saturday, October 22nd rolled around in Due West. At a morning brunch ceremony four remarkable people were inducted into the Erskine Flying Fleet Hall of Fame as part of the Homecoming festivities. Their accomplishments to Erskine Athletics deemed them worthy of being inducted into the hall of fame but it was their acceptance speeches in front of their friends and families which made the event so special.



Dr. Richard Taylor '69 has been a lifelong devotee to the Flying Fleet. Dr. Taylor's entire family are Erskine graduates. His loyalty as a fan, team physician, adjunct faculty for athletic training, and faithful financial supporter made his induction into the hall a no-brainer. Dr. Taylor's acceptance speech was filled with emotions of gratitude which is ironic since it has been his service to the college that stands out the most. Dr. Taylor is living proof that by being a servant you in turn can receive incredible internal personal reward.


Mickie Phillips Ellis '89 played softball and volleyball while at Erskine as an E.B. Kennedy scholar and Jake Todd award winner. Mickie has gone onto a life of service at nearby Dixie High School as a teacher and coach. Much like Dr. Taylor, her influence and impact has been tremendous after her college days at Erskine. Mickie has proven to be an oustanding developer of young women's character. Her speech displayed her passion for what she does and how she has used sport as her ministry to influence the lives of young people.

Eric Moody finished Erskine in 1993 as the one of the school's all-time finest pitchers. His career blossomed after leaving Erskine as he ended up in Arlington, Texas pitching in the major leagues for the Rangers. Eric is an incredibly humble man who expressed his gratutude to God for his accomplishments and the sacrifices made by his family, especially his wife. Eric thanked his dad for what he didn't teach him, which was the mindset of failure. His most touching moment came as Eric thanked his young boys for playing the game of baseball the right way,"If I played like you two, being a great teammate and sportsman, then I played it the right way."

Billy Lesesne graduated from Erskine in 1987 after a stellar soccer career that saw him named to the NAIA All-American team. Billy had grown up in Due West as his legendary dad had served the college as dean of students and director of athletics for many years. Billy returned to coach both Erskine soccer teams in the mid-90s, leading the Erskine women to the conference title in 1997. Billy is currently the associate head women's coach at Duke where the Blue Devils are ranked #3 nationally. Billy received an extra surprise from his former coach and current head coach at the College Charleston, Ralph Lundy, who showed up to present Billy his citation despite having a game that night in Charleston. Billy's speech included what an incredible impact Erskine had on his life and how soccer had begun to flourish in Due West while he was a boy thanks primarily to Coach Lundy.

It was an awesome ceremony because four incredible people shared their Erskine experiences and all four had one major theme. Erskine athletics had truly impacted their lives. Yes, they all had enjoyed incredible accomplishments but for each none of that was the real story. The story was what had been done for them. It is truly remarkable to be inducted into a Hall of Fame but what is more remarkable is to see people so deserving be so humble and gracious. The emotions of all four were touching. I walked away from the brunch wishing every student-athlete at Erskine today would be impacted in their experiences the way Dr. Richard Taylor, Mickie Ellis, Eric Moody, and Billy Lesesne had been in theirs. For it no longer is so much about what they accomplished but about what they took away from their experiences and relationships as a member of the Flying Fleet. It is memorable experiences that will bring about emotions for an entire lifetime and make them members of the remarkable Flying Fleet Forever.

September was a busy month. Busy can be fun as long as everything has a priority. Along with home soccer, volleyball, and cross country events, we had all of our sports begin practicing in September. Our tennis, golf, and softball teams even played in tournaments, and we saw some great accomplishments. Our men's soccer team defeated Division I Presbyterian, our softball team defeated Division I Furman, our men's cross country team dominated our home meet, Sandra Campbell was twice named the Conference Carolinas "Player of the Week" in volleyball, and our women's soccer team finished the month with its best start in six years. September has set an incredible standard to our year of the remarkable in Fleet athletics.

It was easy to look at my calendar at the first of the month and see how busy it was going to be. The problem with calendars though are that they only list the predictable. I knew all about our scheduled events but I have learned that being an athletic director is more about putting out "spur of the moment" fires on a daily basis. Planning is great, but most of the time my daily plans don't always get much attention. I am often reminded of the Rascal Flatts song, "If you want to see God laugh, show Him your plans." I realize as I get older (I won't get carried away and say wiser) that you can't do everything so you better learn to prioritze and focus. No question daily fires have to be addressed and at times watered, but not all of them can be given the same amount of attention. There has to be a priority list determining how they are handled so that the right amount of focus is given. How do you decide on priorities? Lou Holtz always describes it as "WIN," What's Important Now. That is fairly easy in this job. One of the most fun things we did this month was take a group photo of one athlete in uniform from each team (see the top of the blog). As I look at this picture I don't need to determine what's important now. Any issues dealing directly with student-athletes is top shelf priority everyday. Our job as coaches and staff are to provide student-athletes with the best experience possible so any issues dealing directly with student-athlete experience have my focus. We dealt with some tough issues this month in regards to student-athletes. Some issues required decisions that were not so fun to make. Regardless, whether we make the right decisions or not, we know the priority. There isn't an NCAA report, a budget concern, or scheduling conflict that supercedes the student-athlete experience. I love the picture taken above because it represents all that Flying Fleet Athletics is about...the student-athletes. No matter how busy October gets, we will keep our eyes focused on them. For it is the student-athletes who create the remarkable in the land of the Fleet.


**Erskine Director of Athletics Mark Peeler post a new blog on the first Monday of each month**














I

The start of a new school year is always exciting, always filled with hope and expectations of a new year. As our semester started this week I had an opportunity to meet with each of our teams in hopes of explaining our expectations to student-athletes. As will be the case all year, I tried to focus on the theme, 'What does remarkable look like in Fleet Athletics." I might have a benchmark for what I think it looks like but we don't really know exactly so it is with much anticipation that this year begins. We have a passionate group of coaches that relish the opportunity of seeking the remarkable. It is through their leadership that I am confident our student-athletes will be motivated to accomplish the remarkable this year on the playing fields, in the classroom, in both the Erskine and Due West community, and in their faith. It is easy to use the word remarkable but to actually live it out is an enormous challenge. It takes great vision, perseverance, and commitment to achieve remarkable.

Maybe the most important aspect of achieving the remarkable is not actually achieving but in the journey itself. Actually making dreams come true as champions on the field, stars in the world of academia, and super faith-based sportsmen isn't all that remarkable if along the way the journey isn't appreciated and enjoyed. Long after the trophies get rusty and the diplomas go on walls that we never look at, all that will be left are memories of a journey and relationships that are made along the way.

So as I looked at the 280 or so student-athletes this week I know it is more than about accomplishment for them. People say college is the best four years of your life so if that is the case, truly building relationships with each other and living in the moment are critical. As we start this year with great anticipation of seeing the remarkable, we have to make sure we understand all that goes into it. As we strive to win championships, receive academic honors, and be good servant leaders in our community we have to be reminded of a big piece of the puzzle. Whether we are student-athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, or administrators we are going to work extremely hard and sacrifice much this year, but let us all remember to stay focused on enjoying the journey and build lifelong memories through our relationships. That in itself will be remarkable. Let's go Fleet!

Erskine AD Mark Peeler updates his blog post at the first of each month

What does remarkable look like? This past week we made a trip southwest to Dallas to visit my wife's sister on her 40th birthday. We had an opportunity to tour the independent school my brother-in-law heads in the metroplex. Last September he posed the question to parents and students, "What does remarkable look like?" We all know that remarkable is something that makes us take notice, to which we pay attention, even something maybe extraordinary. It is an intriguing thought to decide what remarkable actually looks like in an environment. Dallas has plenty of remarkable things...100 degree heat for 38 straight days (the last six have all been over 106, thank you very much)...two "X's" on the road marking the spot across from Dealey Plaza where JFK was shot nearly 50 years ago (Oswald acted alone by the way, I'm just saying)...Jerry Jones's little house that he built for his Cowboys...so it is not hard to find things that I deem remarkable in life, or in this case, in Dallas.

So the question is, what would remarkable look like for Erskine Athletics in 2011-2012? As more than 280 student-athletes take to the classrooms and fields/courts of Due West how will it look remarkable? Mostly in sports we take notice at teams that win championships, so clearly that would be a good start. But it would also be nice to see teams full of academic-minded sportsmen/women giving their all with great passion and at the same time honoring Christ. I know I sound like an idealistic Athletic Director but the bracelet I wear around my wrist daily quotes Phillipians 4:13, "We can do all things thru Christ." That is a really good place to start a foundation for remarkable, to see what it looks like.

So I want 2011-2012 to be remarkable for Erskine Athletics. I will challenge everyone on our staff to help on us a daily basis re-define remarkable and make this year one which makes us all stand a part from others and take notice. Can we be remarkable everyday, maybe not, but let's give it a try. I will keep you updated on the REMARKABLE Fleet!

This is no doubt my favorite post of the year because I do it from my favorite place in the world, Ocean Isle Beach, NC. Our family has spent much of our Julys here over the past 12 years. It is a great place to recover from the past and prepare to start anew in August. This July is a little different than the past few years since we are searching for a new women's basketball and a women's lacrosse coach during this month. I have spent much of the last two weeks looking at resumes as we begin to narrow our search for both positions. Applications will continue to be accepted until July 10th. After the 10th we will narrow the candidate pool for both positions to eight (8) and then conduct phone interviews with each during the week of July 18-22. At that point a few selected candidates will be invited to campus for interviews. The goal is to have new coaches in place by the first week in August.

Thus far our women's basketball search has yielded over 150 applications while lacrosse (in only a week) has about 30. So how will we decide? We hope to find the right fit for Erskine. People who not only understand but embrace the mission of the college. They also will be people eager to work and succeed in a limited resources environment. Every candidate wants to be paid great and have huge funding in their program but our reality is much different. It takes special people to accept the challenges we offer.

Coaching searches can be both taxing and rewarding. we haven't had a search for a head coach since we started our new programs (lacrosse, volleyball, and golf) four years ago. It is difficult trying to find the right people but exciting to know two new people will come in this fall and hopefully energize our staff. So these are really important decisions and we pray that we get it right. It should be an exciting month for Erskine Athletics leading up to an exciting 2011-2012 academic year. I would say I can't wait, but I can for the moment as I enjoy a few more moments at the beach.

Summertime has made its way to Due West. The temperatures are expected to be well into the 90's for the next seven days. No complaints here, I will take the scorching heat anyday over any temperature below 50 degrees. The summer is a great time for our department to plan for the 2011-2012 academic and athletic year and also a great time to breath after a busy spring. If you want to support the Flying Fleet financially don't forget that our fiscal year ends June 30th. We really do appreciate the faithful Fleet supporters who help our cause every year with donations. Running an athletic department is an expensive venture and the costs for running our department has doubled in the last seven years. We are grateful to so many who help us offset that cost and I would ask that you prayerfully consider donating to the Flying Fleet Club before the end of June. You are helping so many Erskine student-athletes chase their dreams and have a quality experience while doing it.

Hope you have a great summer full of peace and safe travels. It is going to be a hot one but August will be here before we know it which means Fleet Athletics will be gearing up for fall sports. May God shed His grace on each of you.

Former football coach and ESPN Gameday analyst once said about his Notre Dame football team, "We aren't where we want to be, we aren't where we ought to be, but we aren't where we used to be either." It is a perfect quote for Erskine Athletics in 2010-2011. I have witnessed much change over the past seven years as athletic director in numerous areas in our department. We have nearly doubled in student-athletes and staff during that time. We have seen some nice improvements to our facilities. Academics have always been at a high level in our athletics program but as the numbers have grown, academic success continues to remain high for Fleet Athletics. The one area where we have seen some success but are a long ways from where we want to be is with our competitive level. This year we won two conference tournaments, had a one runner-up in tournament play, two 2nd place regular season finishes, and two NCAA regional appearances. All of that is good but as I look back on what I wanted Erskine Athletics to be seven years ago, we have accomplished everything except the high level of winning in all our sports. My desire by year seven was that half of our teams would be in regional play every year. Seven years ago we had been to a regional only once (men's tennis) but over the past 13 months I witnessed our teams in baseball, women's tennis, and softball play in NCAA regionals and let me tell you, its fun. That is where we belong on a yearly basis in all of our sports. We were close in volleyball and men's soccer this year to getting to that point. But I realize the big push needs to be made in men's basketball. We (I) have to get men's basketball up to a regional standard of play. If basketball does it then other sports will also begin to follow. We aren't going to compromise on who we are, what we do, and what we stand for just to win, but we can have much more success here. Erskine Athletics can be a Division II player and that wasn't even a thought seven years ago. So maybe 2010-2011 wasn't exactly what we hoped for in many ways but we sure aren't where we used to be. Go Fleet!

Saturday afternoon is graduation under the Towers at Erskine. If you haven't been to Due West lately, the college has never looked more beautiful. Graduation on Saturday will be a special occasion for the seniors who have completed their journey at Erskine. Four seniors will be "in abstentia" on Saturday afternoon. Jocelyn Smith, Lindsey LaPrad, Kerry Fincher, and Kristie Fincher will miss their graduation. Four years ago they came to Erskine with a dream of earning a degree and leading the Flying Fleet softball team to the Conference Carolinas Championship. Each of the four distinguished themselves academically, all earning diplomas. In fact, Jocelyn Smith was still in the discussion for valedictorian honors as late as Wednesday night. But despite earning those degrees, Jocelyn, Lindsey, Kerry, and Kristie will not be receiving degrees in Dr. David Norman's first graduation at Erskine. Instead, they will be in Dahlonega, GA competing in the NCAA Southeast Regional. They achieved all of their dreams but by an unfortunate timing of circumstances they can't be at two places at once. Saturday is a day of history for these four young women. They are achieving a college degree and playing as a part of a conference champion in the NCAA Tournament, the first ever for an Erskine softball team. I know all four wish they could be under the Towers Saturday afternoon with their classmates but I also know they would not trade being in Dahlonega for anything. They have memories that will last a lifetime and all of us in Erskine Athletics are so proud of their accomplishments. They might be "in abstentia" Saturday but they got all they could out of their Erskine experience. And who knows, their might be a College World Series they still need to attend!

Next week will be busy but will also be one of my favorite weeks of the athletic year. On Monday, I will get to travel to Savannah, Ga. to cheer on our women's tennis team in the Southeast Regional as they take on defending three-time national champion Armstrong Atlantic. On Tuesday night we hold our annual Athletic Awards Banquet in Moffatt Dining Hall at 6 pm. The awards banquet is a time for us to honor many accomplishments of our student-athletes during this past year and to say thanks to our seniors as they head out into the real world. We have a few special awards each year which take center stage at the banquet. The top senior student-athlete/s is presented with the Jake Todd Award. One of the criteria for this award is that the recipient not only be an outstanding performer on the field but maintain a 3.0 GPA as well. Ironically we have never had any problem with that, because history has shown that student-athletes at Erskine who excel in their sport also show the same discipline when it comes to grades.

We will also present the Karen Bell Award on Tuesday night to the student-athlete who best represents Christian mission during their athletic participation. This is a special award for me because Karen was a loyal Erskine athletics staff member for many years and still four years after her passing, I still miss her dearly. We also will unveil a new award this year which is a secret until Tuesday night but will be tied into service. Tuesday will also allow us to honor Jocelyn Smith, the 2011 Conference Carolinas Murphy-Osborne winner as the top student-athlete in the league. Jocelyn picked up the double play of accomplishments this spring as her softball team won their first-ever conference title.

The week will end on Friday with the Flying Fleet Festival at Cherokee Trail Elementary. The festival is is a field day for the students at Cherokee Trail run by our student-athletes at Erskine. Three years ago when we first started the festival I worried that our student-athletes would complain about taking time out of Reading Day to come help out. What we have seen has been totally different. The majority of our athletes have just as much fun at the festival as the elementary kids. It is a great community engagement program for us and helps our student-athletes give back to the Due West area.

So next week is going to be busy, but what a great time it will be for Erskine Athletics and for me personally, it makes me glad to be the athletic director. Go Fleet!

Happiness is winning two conference championships in one day! We got to feel that happiness Sunday in the South Carolina Midlands as our women's tennis and softball teams took home Conference Carolinas titles in Sumter and Hartsville. It is awesome to win a conference title, two in one day is quite extraordinary. For our women's tennis team, the victory was old hat, their 7th straight title. This one took a little more effort though than the previous six. With two matches remaining on the court, both in the 3rd set, Erskine had to have a win in one of them to grab the title. Tessa Rheault's come from behind victory was more dramatic than any of the Fleet's previous titles under Coach Calhoun Parr.

The softball championship was on a different end of the spectrum. The Fleet had never won more than two games in the tournament so winning four straight was a first. Over the last few years Coach Alleen Hawkins has turned around the fate of our softball program, so we knew it was only a matter of time before the first-ever title came our way. Riding the dynamic duo pitching of sophomores Kelsey Spurrier and Heather Richey the Fleet made history and for a brief moment even made Coach Hawkins speechless.

It was a special day for our Fleet. As my daughter and I drove through Florence on Sunday evening we stopped to take care of my two great vices in life: Coke Zero and Krispy Kreme Donuts. In the past year Florence, SC has added a Newspring Church campus and a Krispy Kreme, proving Florence has a great movement of God going on! Anyway, the theme of Coke is "Open Happiness" while the theme of Krispy Kreme is "Happy All-Around." You can judge me for my vices, but with two conference championships, a dozen donuts, and 12 ounces of Coke Zero, Happiness ruled the day. Go Fleet!

'Life comes at you fast' is a wonderful catchphrase for an insurance company advertisement because how real it is. The Peeler's life came at us fast two weeks ago today when our seven year old son Max took a full swung baseball bat to his head. It originally appeared to be a bad head wound head wound that needed stitches but as we soon learned was a fractured skull full of blood clots and infections. Over the next 14 hours Maggie and I lived with a lump lodged between our throat and chest wondering if everything would be okay. After over an hour in the operating room and awesome neurosurgeon at Greenville Children's Hospital had put our little man's head back together and removed the lump in our own bodies. Max's healing has gone well and just yesterday returned to school. It does not appear that there will be any long-term effects due to the injury. We are so thankful that God has restored our active 7 year old to his normal life. Now we have to deal with the over-protectiveness of being a parent who has watched their child suffer. Max doesn't want his life to change in anyway but his parents do. We will gradually become more comfortable with his child-like reckless abandon but right now we respect how fast life comes at you and how fast life can change.

One thing that was not lost in this ordeal was all the support our family received from all over the country. Max was prayed for by so many people that I know his doctor felt the presence of God as he worked on him in the operating room. Our family felt so blessed to have so many people thinking and praying for Max. It showed us how special places like Erskine, FCA, and Newspring Church are. We hope one day to pay all of that forward to people in need. But my real prayer is that life doesn't come at any of you that fast.

Since the age of 6 "March Madness" has always been my favorite time of year. Any basketball junkie thrives on 64 teams playing the opening rounds the first two days of the tournament. The Division I march to the Final Four this year has been filled with great stories and sad endings. I have become a big fan of the Butler Bulldogs (as you can see from the picture I took on my phone in September of Shelvin Mack shooting in Hinkle Field House) so they will be my pick for the weekend.

My "March Madness" the past three years has been filled not only with Division I basketball but Division II as well. As a member of the NCAA Division II men's basketball committee I have spent most of this march on the road. In fact as of today (the 29th of March), I have spent more nights (15) in Courtyard by Marriotts than I have in my own bed (14). The highways and airways have taken me to Pennslyvania, Tennessee, Georgia, and Massachusetts this month tracking NCAA Division II basketball. It has been a long month full of too much fast food, way too much evaluations of officials, and far too many moments away from my family. But I do know this about Division II college basketball- the players and coaches are just passionate as they are at D-I, the administrators at the schools are just as proud and the excitement of the games are just as high. The NCAA accepts much criticism from the general public about their methods of operation but most of that criticism comes from people who simply don't understand. I for one am a huge fan of the NCAA. They have afforded student-athletes at the Division II and Division III levels to compete for national championships that will be remembered forever. My lasting memory of this past month is how many times I heard student-athletes comment at regionals or nationals that they were having an experience which they would never forget. As long as you get to hear comments like that, all the time put in during this basketball season as a member of the national committee and all the nights (15) spent in Marriotts in March are well worth the effort. March Madness is about making memories that last. I am pulling for Shelvin Mack and the boys of Butler to burn their memories into history this weekend. As for me, I am going to be at home resting now that April is here and the madness of March is over. On second thought, it is April and Saturday is the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston. Hope they have a Courtyard by Marriott!

March is always a great time in South Carolina as the weather gets nice and outdoor sports get in full gear. This will be another exciting spring for our teams. Our lacrosse team has already notched their first ever victory while women's tennis, softball, baseball, and golf are off to good starts. The highlight of the spring as it has been in the past few years is the culmination of the Beville Cup. The dual between Erskine and Anderson University is a source of great pride. We have lost the Cup the last two years and after some Trojan domination to start the year it appeared Anderson would run away with it this year. But in the words of football analyst Lee Corso, "not so fast my friend." Thanks to stellar academics by Fleet student-athletes and a softball doubleheader sweep, we are poised to regain the Cup in what could be decided by as much as a half a point. In fact it well could be decided on March 9th as the Anderson baseball team will host the Fleet. The winner will likely earn the coveted Cup. A win for us would tie the Cup series at 4-4 since its inception 8 years ago between the two rivals.
The Cup's name has as much significance as the rivalry itself. The Cup is in honor of Bobby and in memory of Susie Beville. The picture above is Bobby with his daughters, Kayce and Nikki. Bobby played baseball at Anderson junior college and then played two years for the Fleet. Susie played softball at both schools while Bobby went on to coach baseball and serve as the athletics director at Anderson for numerous years. In other words, the Bevilles have close ties to both institutions so it was a no-brainer to name the Cup after them. It is an honor for Erskine to seek a cup with the Bevilles name on it. In fact, we think it belongs in Due West. If all goes well in the next few weeks, I look forward to May 3rd when Bobby and the Beville girls can be in the metropolis as AU athletics director Nancy Simpson brings the Beville Cup home. It will be a nice day in Due West for sure!

My father-in-law likes to say about those rare, yet special days where everything just seems perfect, 'I wish this day would never end." For me, one of those days was Tuesday, February 15, 2011. Both personally and professionally I wish God would just let the day go on or at least give more days like it. It started at 6:00 am with a shoot around with our men's basketball team. It's been a tough year but our young team has showed up everyday with a good attitude and worked to get better. If they had any character flaws they would come out at 6:00 am but instead they show a resiliency that strengthens me through this ordeal. After the shoot around I got to eat breakfast with the three most awesome kids in the world (yeh, I'm biased) and then run five miles with the girl who was my Valentine the day before. Rarely can I convince Maggie Peeler to run with me, so this was a treat.

The rest of the day proved to be an athletic director's dream day for home events. Our baseball team got it started with a 6-0 blasting of archrival Anderson. On a beautiful February afternoon the Fleet pitching was stellar for Kevin Nichols' #17 nationally ranked squad. The softball team took full advantage of the warm weather by sweeping two games from North Greenville, including a no-hitter from sophomore Heather Richey (also a Peeler family babysitter, okay my bias comes out a lot) in one of the games. The women's basketball team took care of business against Converse behind the play of all-conference point guard Porsha Morgan to continue the victories. The finishing touch came as the men's basketball team defeated Allen for an inspiring win. Five home games, five wins for the Fleet. We don't get that experience very often so it is a day to relish.

The first two people to congratulate me on the day were Aramark General Manager Randy Moore and former Erskine president Randy Ruble. They are two of the most faithful Fleet fans and two people I am lucky to call friends, so that made the day even more special. At 9:30 pm I headed on foot for home with my nine-year-old son by my side. He couldn't care less about our five wins but instead updated me on his adventures at school. By 10:30, I was finally getting to eat dinner, a fried chicken salad, courtesy of Snappers, and a warm, toasted biscuit and my favorite oreo ice-cream dessert, both courtesy of my wife, while she and I watched our favorite show, "The Biggest Loser." We have basketball practice at 5:30 am but after a day like this you feel like the adrenaline just may be able to carry you through.

So, yes, Van Young (father-in-law), I wish this day would never end. It has been a great day in the land of the Fleet. Let's do it again soon.

As the spring semester gets into full stride this week, an accomplishment for the fall is worth a major "way to go" to our student-athletes. 96 Erskine student-athletes were named to the Conference Carolinas Presidential Honor Roll for the fall semester. The most impressive part of that accomplishment is that the standards for the honor went up this fall from a 3.0 GPA to a 3.2. It is awesome to see such a large percentage of our student-athletes on this honor roll, the most ever in Erskine history. To each of you, congratulations and we are extremely proud of you for being the essence of a true student-athlete.

Along those same lines, I am proud to announce the selection of senior softball player Jocelyn Smith as Erskine's 2011 nominee for the Conference Carolinas Murphy-Osborne Award. The award honors the conference's top student-athlete in academics, athletics, and service. Jocelyn is a four-year starter for the Fleet at shortstop and a star Chemistry major in the classroom.

I am sure each of our coaches will agree that having an opportunity to be around such gifted young people both in the classroom and on the playing fields is our honor. We proudly watch you grow and excel in a competitive athletic, academic, and Christian environment. Keep up the great work. Go Fleet!

The snow that blasted six inches onto the Due West landscape on January 10th was a welcome site......at first. Classes were shut down for three days as most of us enjoyed the unusual thrill of playing in the snow in South Carolina. Unfortunately, fun gets taken too far some time and this snow storm provided that for Erskine Athletics. A four-wheeler adventurer decided our soccer/lacrosse field would be a great place to tear the snow up with "donuts." The damage has been severe to the field. As the snow finally cleared and slowly dries, we realize the damage is even much worse than originally believed. It will cost a fairly large sum to repair the damages so that lacrosse will be able to play games at the end of the month. It has also forced our lacrosse team to have limited practice time as they prepare for their season. The lacrosse team has found limited alternatives to practice and has led to frustrations and anger towards others in our department. Those frustrations can all be linked back to one act of fun.

As I walked the field this morning I wondered if all that instant fun for that person was really worth it. Their few minutes of joy set us back for months and financially probably longer than that. It is quite sickening to look at and think about. I know the offenders will never come clean or be identified but their act of fun caused damaged to a lot of people. Yes, we know now that we have responsibility in this. We should have locks on our gates so that violators would not have access. Yet we live in a small village where trust is supreme and the respect for other people's property is fairly high so you can't blame us for having a false sense of security. We will be smarter and less naive from now on. Unfortunately the next time it snows in Due West, I won't be quite as excited because I realize people wanting to have fun can do damage that we might not be able to repair.

Over the past five years we have explored options to allow us to add lights to our baseball field. Numerous reasons surfaced over the years that made putting lights up make sense in our baseball program. As our program has grown to average 60 plus players and class times at Erskine are scheduled all the way up to 5 pm, it has become impossible to have our baseball team together en masse at practice. Also, so much class time is being missed due to games, that lights would help alleviate missed class time as well. Another critical piece in the lights scenario has been the hazard of having the baseball field located below our tennis courts. Foul balls regularly find their way onto the tennis courts while play is going on. Our coaches have tried their best to schedule around each other when it comes to games and matches but practice is much more difficult to schedule around.

All of these factors have brought us to the conclusion that lighting our baseball field is no longer a desire but a necessity. Lights would allow our team to practice at night while they attend classes all afternoon and our tennis teams practice. The obvious roadblock to lights is financial. Common sense would have had lights put up five years ago but the costs have always smacked us in the face. Now it has become an urgent necessity so we will need approximately $8000 a year. The $8000 a year over the next ten years would allow us to lease and pay for light usage and then at the end of ten years we will own the lights. It is a good deal for us since fundraising for $8000 a year seems less daunting than an upfront $120,000 fee that we have been asked to produce in the in the past.

So let the fundraising begin in search of $8000 a year. I don't mind making a shameless plug on this blog for money to help us put the lights up. If you could help or you know someone that could, please contact me. The addition of lights would solve so many problems. I am aware that it may create problems as well, but at this point the positives far outweigh the negatives. The financial aspect will be difficult but we have learned that when something needs to be done, God seems to provide. We pray that will be the case here. Let there be light!

The start of a new year brings much anticipation for people and often brings resolutions that will change people’s behavior and lifestyle. A new year also often brings reflection on the year passed. While 2011 will bring many highlights to Erskine College athletics it is more than appropriate to reflect back on 2010, which was probably the most outstanding year in Flying Fleet athletics since Erskine joined NCAA Division II in the early 1990’s. Here is a quick look at those highlights.

The 2010 winter seasons saw the all-time scoring record in basketball fall. Goose Creek, SC native Brandon Wright became the first Erskine player to ever score over 2000 points in a career. Senior women’s basketball player Audrey Timmerman shattered the women’s career 3-point record while sophomore Porsha Morgan became the first ever women’s basketball player to be named 1^st team All-Conference in her first two years.

The spring saw some historical accomplishments. Senior Brian Fogle became the 2^nd Erskine baseball player in four years to be named national NCAA Division II “Player of the Year.” The baseball team also went to the regionals for the 2^nd time in 3years and knocked off the top seeded team in the 1^st round. The women’s tennis team captured its 6^th consecutive conference tournament title and 6^th straight visit to the regionals. Senior softball player Courtney Davis smashed the Erskine career home run record and was named Conference Carolinas “Player of the Year.” The baseball, softball, and women’s tennis teams dominated the all-conference teams in their respective sports.

The fall of 2010 proved to be just as exciting. The men’s soccer team finished 2^nd in conference play and advanced to the tournament semi-finals for the first time in a decade. Our second year volleyball program finished 2^nd in the league and advanced to the conference title match. The volleyball team also received the top sportsmanship honor in volleyball.

All the athletic accolades pale in comparison to the academic achievements of our teams. Never have we honored so many student-athletes in the academic arena. 2010 was an awesome year to be part of Erskine athletics. God has blessed us and we pray that those blessings will be as bountiful in 2011. Happy New Year!